Online Proposal Process

Organizations interested in affiliating with the Smithsonian Institution must submit a proposal to Smithsonian Affiliations. The 2018 application period is now closed. Please check back in February 2019 for dates for the next cycle.

Please review this PDF to understand the information needed for Smithsonian affiliation. A brief overview of the documents required is listed below.If you feel that any of these documents does not pertain to your organization and, thus, are not included in your application, you will be asked to please provide a brief statement indicating which documents are not included and why.

Institutional Code of Ethics

Current Strategic Plan

Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Plan If you do not have a formal plan, please tell us if emergency preparedness is part of a parent or related organization’s plan. If there is no plan, please let us know.

Collections Management Policy (for collecting institutions only)

American Alliance of Museums’ General Facilities Report (GFR)

Form 990 for 2 Years. If your organization does not file a 990, please include a current and previous year’s institutional budget. For applicants that are subsidiaries of a parent organization and do not file 990s, please provide two years of budgets for the subsidiary organization and include an explanation of what costs or activities are covered by the parent.

Last available annual report

Organizational chart

2-page resumes of key staff, including the executive director, communications specialist, lead curator, lead educator, and registrar

Letter signed by the organization’s Executive Director indicating why your organization wishes to become a Smithsonian Affiliate and how your organization envisions working with the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Director, Kevin Gover, presents the Anchorage Museum Director, Julie Decker, with a certificate of Affiliation when the museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2014. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Smithsonian Affiliations

In 45 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama, there are over 200 Smithsonian Affiliate organizations all working together to preserve our heritage, expand knowledge, and inspire learning.